Pieminister cafe and bar in Stokes Croft

23032013

“Let them eat pie.” Those famous words almost said by Marie Antoinette could easily apply to Pieminister, a business who are celebrating their 10th birthday by reinvesting in their original Stokes Croft home; reopening the ground level as a cafe-bar and bringing office staff back under one roof upstairs.

When Pieminister started in Bristol, founders Jon Simon and Tristan Hogg could only in their wildest dreams have imagined the success their company would go on to have.

There is even a Pieminister shop now in Amsterdam, alongside three in London and one in Oxford, but for this weekend at least the focus will be on 24 Stokes Croft, which from today is open from 10am until 11pm with an offer of much more than just pies.

The place is unrecognisable from before, with exposed brick work, neon lights and the plastic bar stools reminiscent of BrewDog and Guerrilla Burger over on Baldwin Street.

It’s not just the decor that is bang on trend; the beer selection also includes some mighty fine brews, from the Bristol Beer Factory and Somerset’s Wild Beer Co. through to that there London’s Camden Town Brewery, with Bath Ales Gem currently on tap.

There are also 15 bottled ciders to choose from, gin from Thornbury’s Bramley & Gage, Extract coffee and if the pies don’t tickle your fancy, other menu options include popcorn crayfish and a cheese board, with the pick of the puddings a “Bristolbocker glory” served with cider brandy.

“Live and eat pie” is Pieminister’s own quote, now daubed on the outside of the building as well as inside their new and improved Stokes Croft home. It’s a motto with which it is difficult to disagree.